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MK Electric Contributes to South African Research Ship Bound for The Coldest Journey On Earth

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Published: Tuesday, 25 September 2012 13:46

MK Electric – the UK’s leading manufacturer of wiring devices and accessories – has helped in the development of a South African research ship that is due to cross Antarctica this winter with Sir Ranulph Fiennes at the helm.

The ice-strengthened ship, ‘SA Agulhas’ will leave London on 6 December 2012 bound for the first-ever trans-Antarctic winter expedition, ‘the coldest journey on Earth’. It contains wiring devices from MK Electric’s best-selling Logic Plus range – made from a high grade thermoset material which has an inherent antimicrobial property – as well as the Sentry range of circuit protection consumer units and Prestige 3D cable management.

The Coldest Journey will also attempt to raise USD10 million for Seeing is Believing, a global charitable initiative to fight avoidable blindness. Plus, during their sea voyage, the team will undertake a number of scientific tasks to provide unique data on marine life, oceanography and meteorology. Using the very latest technological innovations, this epoch-making journey will pave the way for a new dawn in Antarctic, year-round exploration.

Of the Antarctic traverse, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Expedition Leader of The Coldest Journey, said: “We will stretch the limits of human endurance. Britain and the Commonwealth has a strong heritage of exploration, from Captain Cook 300 years ago to the present day. As such, it is fitting that a Commonwealth team should be the first to fulfil this last great polar expedition.

“It is a unique opportunity to carry out a number of scientific tasks in the extreme polar environment, which will make a significant contribution to our understanding of the true effects of global warming on the Antarctic continent.”

Jason Ng, Marketing Communications Specialist for MK Electric, added: “We are hugely excited to be a sponsor for a project that is not only scientifically ground-breaking, but also raising awareness and support for such a worthwhile cause. As soon as we heard about the impact this expedition is going to have, donating our products to help build the ship and bring the team one step closer to their goal was a no-brainer.

“One of the most important practices for us is that we manufacture in Great Britain, for Great Britain. Now we have the opportunity to support Britain in a completely new way – through being part of one of the bravest and pioneering expeditions of all time led by Britain and the Commonwealth.”

Previously, the furthest any expedition has ever ventured into Antarctica during the winter is 60 miles. On this forthcoming journey, Sir Ranulph and his team will aim to cover 2,000 miles in six months, crossing the polar plateau at an average height of 10,000ft above sea level.